I'm odd?
By annidavison
9 comments
Okay, so I have my partners family round (all farmers) and I’m pricking out my seedlings for my leeks, radishes and cabbages (God they’re growing fast! They’ve doubled in size since yesterday!) and they tell me I’m doing it wrong.
Now, my nan always used to say it was blasphemously wasteful to thin vegetable seedlings, preffering instead to transplant them to a seed cell of their own as soon as they had their first leaves unfurled. But apparently this is a very bad way to do it, ‘cause you can send the plant into shock by disturbing the roots. Don’t get me wrong, I know this happens; I lost my last basil plant in exactly this way. But neither nan nor I ever had ny problems with this; the trick is to just go very slowly and patiently, and be very very gentle with the seedlings when they’re so small.
Does anyone else do or even agree with this, or are we just weird?
4 Mar, 2009
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Comments
I try to save as many seedlings as possible and I do pot on - and mostly they do ok. so I agree - waste not want not (as my granny said)
4 Mar, 2009
If you have a system that works, stick with it (or as we used to say at work - if it ain't broke, don't fix it). And just remember, plants can't read either :-)
4 Mar, 2009
In the Daily Mail last Saturday, Nigel Colburn wrote a list of ten golden gardening rules.
One of the rules ~
Heed the experts, but don't take them too seriously.
I agree with those above.
Preserve as many seedlings as I can. :o)
You're not odd, you're even. Lol.
4 Mar, 2009
I agree too. Besides, whats the difference...you are disturbing the roots by pricking them out too. Keep on doing it the way you are doing it. Waste not, want not.
And, if you're odd then we are all odd !! :o)
4 Mar, 2009
Although I'm starting to see a slight flaw; sowing instructions assume you're thinning the seedlings, not re-potting them, so I'm actually getting several times more than I bargain for; this wouldn't necessarily be a problems if I had several times more garden too, but I don't!
Anyone want some cabbages? Lol!
4 Mar, 2009
Yes, I do it. Nothing to lose because the alternative,presumably is to just waste it. I quite often use cell trays for seed sowing and if 2 or 3 seeds germinate in one cell, I'll transfer one to a cell where nothing has germinated.
5 Mar, 2009
Yes I do that aswell. It's a good idea to do with annuals. You can pop a cell or two where there's a bit of space , or in a tub etc.
6 Mar, 2009
Yeah, exactly. And they make good gifts, too; my grandad likes gardening, but only once they get to the "sit back and admire your hard work" stage.
6 Mar, 2009
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I agree with you. I don't like to wast a plants. There's no right and wrong - just diferent ways.
Just keep doing it your way and let them do it their way. We have to accept each other's diferences.
4 Mar, 2009